Wekiva River

Protect the Wekiva Last year Orange County commissioners denied a request from the operator of a landfill for construction debris — located in the springshed that drains into the ecologically imperiled Wekiva River — to expand its capacity and accept other kinds of trash. Given the landfill's location near Kelly Park Crossing, a proposed billion-dollar development in Apopka, the denial made sense for both environmental and economic reasons. But the operator, Mid Florida Materials, later got the decision overturned by a circuit judge, who ordered the request back to commissioners for reconsideration. That reconsideration is set for Tuesday's commission meeting. ...

Related "Wekiva River" Articles

Protect the Wekiva
Last year Orange County commissioners denied a request from the operator of a landfill for construction debris — located in the springshed that drains into the ecologically imperiled Wekiva River — to expand its capacity and accept...

More and more often, the stage is abuzz with activity at the Princess Theater in downtown Sanford. You might have caught the recent presentation of the musical “Spamalot.” Or maybe the Kristallnacht/Holocaust drama “Witness” last fall. Or one of the...

TALLAHASSEE – About two-dozen Florida springs clean-up projects got a $25 million taxpayer infusion Wednesday when a budget-writing panel signed off on plans to clean up leaky septic tanks and polluted waters, feeding both springs and development.
...

I was recently part of an Orange Audubon Society survey of scrub lands proposed for purchase by the Central Florida Expressway Authority as mitigation for construction of the Wekiva Parkway. These scrub lands are home to the Florida scrub-jay. This native...

Term limits are forcing Orange County Commissioner Fred Brummer from the seat that represents the northwest area of the county around Lake Apopka.
Five candidates are vying to replace him in an Aug. 26 primary, and if no one wins more than 50 percent...

A plan to extend sewer lines near Wekiwa Springs to homes that have septic systems would be paid for mostly with tax money but has agitated residents who fear the project would cost them thousands of dollars, tear up streets and yards — but do little to...

With just a few weeks remaining till most kids go back to school, time's getting short to get some outdoors exercise with them unhurried by worries about homework and tests. If you own a canoe or kayak or can rent or borrow one, why not try some of the...

A Saturday night crash in Lake County left one man dead and another jailed on DUI and other charges.Robert Wenrick, 43, of DeBary, was driving east on State Road 46 at about 10:15 p.m. when he struck a pedestrian who was standing in the roadway, according...

So you're ready to paddle the Wekiva River, but where to rent a canoe or kayak? And what else is there to do? Here are four options. Click the name of each location for its website:
Wekiwa Springs State Park: The park concession rents canoes or single...

It's well-known that our very own Wekiva River is designated a National Wild and Scenic River, great for kayaking and canoeing. Just one other Florida river has such a designation: the Loxahatchee River, two

With brooms, rakes, nets and bare hands, nearly 50 volunteers on Sunday scrubbed a scum of green algae off the floor of Wekiwa Springs, hoping to bring back its white sand and blue water.
"What do you think, is it working?" said organizer...

We hear a lot about Central Florida's paved bike trails but less about the even more abundant unpaved hiking trails. Here are seven gems all within an hour's drive of downtown Orlando: Florida Trail, Flagler Trail,

A Central Florida woman has been searching day and night for her missing mini horse after the animal went missing from its trailer on Sunday.
Brenda Young Johnson took her 10-year-old mini horse Tootsie to a charity event at Lower Wekiva River...

In the aftermath of the most serious bear attack in Florida history, a top state wildlife officer admitted Wednesday that "we could've done better."
That assessment from Thomas Eason of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission came...

Standing less than 2 miles from an algae-plagued Wekiwa Springs, Gov. Rick Scott and Florida's top environmental officials gushed praise Wednesday for $37 million in public money set aside to jump-start restoration work at some of the state's best-known...

After a decade of war, many veterans coming home are finding difficulty integrating back into society, where civilians move at a different pace, react to situations differently and respond with a different level of urgency. Many veterans miss the...

A routine check of my wildlife camera, which is located in our Seminole County backyard not too far from Wekiva River Basin, reveals some interesting bear behavior. The carefully hidden remote weather-proof Bushnell HD Trail video camera has a...

Note: Kelly Park is not to be confused with Rock Springs Run State Reserve, which is off limits to swimmers. For information on that state park, see below. Rock Springs Run at Kelly Park 400 East Kelly Park Road Apopka, FL 32712 (407) 889-4179 This...

Wekiwa Springs State Park 1800 Wekiwa Circle Apopka, Florida 32712 Phone: 407-884-2009 Located at the headwaters of the Wekiva River, the beautiful vistas within this park offer a glimpse of what Central Florida looked like when Timucuan Indians...

Spring weather. Beautiful sunsets. What's missing? If you answered "hiking boots and a compass," we clearly don't run in the same circles.
In fact, I prefer not to run at all — especially when there are watering holes with an outdoor patio to...